The Nazgul Tales
by Csillan.Rose
Summary: For the first time, hear the Nazguls’ side of the story. Follow the infamous nine as they travel through Middle Earth on their master’s bidding and… well, basically mess everything up.
1. Why Frodo Got Away

**The Nazgul Tales…**

_Summary: For the first time, hear the Nazguls' side of the story. Follow the infamous nine as they travel through middle earth on their master's bidding and… well, basically mess everything up._

_Disclaimer: All people, things, and places in or related to Middle Earth belong to JRR Tolkien, not to me. :)

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**Chapter One: Why Frodo Got Away**

_(Early April, 3018)_

Nine dark figures rode on horses as black as pitch. They thundered through the countryside, leaving only death and despair in their wake. They rode with a purpose, heading in a line as straight as an arrow for…

_"Where are we going again?" _Number Three asked Number One. Number One stopped his horse, causing Number Two to crash into it.

_"We are headed for the dreaded realm of Hobbiton, in the bleak country of Shire, where darkness rules the day, and cruelty never dies!"_

_"You mean the place where dull, short people sit and eat mushrooms, right?" _Number Five put in icily. _"And at this rate, we're _never _going to make it. This is the eight-hundred and ninety-seventh time Number Three stopped us to ask!"_

_"And you're counting because…" _Number Seven inquired.

_"Why don't we all just move on, and resolve our differ—"_

_"Shut up, Eight."_

_"You know,"_ Seven cut in, _"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…well… I've been looking at the map, and…"_ he hesitated, but continued at Five's glare, _"It seems that…we're headed in the completely wrong direction. I suspect that by tomorrow afternoon we will have reached the Far East side of Gondor."_

A stony silence greeted this news. Finally Six whimpered, _"**He's **gonna _kill_ us."_ No one asked who '**He**' was. No one had to.

Five cleared his throat, and then snapped, _"Don't be such a sissy, six! Besides, we might still get there in time to catch up with this 'Baggins' fellow. He'll probably still be at home, smoking his pipe and tending to his garden. After all, how intelligent can a 'halfling' be?"_

_"Something tells me you're going to regret that statement." _Seven put in thoughtfully.

_(Late September, 3018)_

_"Aha!"_ Number One drew up his horse and pointed dramatically to a large sign that read: **WELCOME TO HOBBITON! **(and, added underneath, "HOME OF BAGGINS") _"I knew we would make it!"_

_"And it only took a little more than half a year!" _Two added, seemingly pretty proud of this fact. The withering glare he received from Number Five went blissfully unnoticed.

_"Now, we should probably find where Baggins lives."_ Seven put in hastily, _"But we have to be careful about doing it. We don't want Baggins to get the hint that we're looking for him."_

_"Let's survey our options," _Number One began, _"We can ransack the country side, burn houses, and screech the name 'Baggins'!; We could slaughter all of the halflings until we find the one with the magic ring; We could—"_

_"We could just ask directions." _Eight suggested hopefully. _"There's a rather nice looking man over there that I'm sure could help us."_

All nine Nazgul turned to look in the direction Eight was pointing in. A fat, balding hobbit stood in the middle of his vegetable garden, staring at them with an odd look on his face.

Number Five got down from his horse and shoved his way past the others. _"Mortal! Where can I find Baggins?"_

Number Three also got off of his horse and walked up beside Five. Curiously, he asked, _"Baggins? Who's that?"_

Before Five could attempt to kill Three (again) Eight stepped in between them. _"Come now, you two, quit bicker—"_

At that moment, Number Nine's horse randomly decided to buck him off. Nine went sailing over Six, who squealed and ducked. At the same time, Six accidentally jabbed his heel into his mount's side. The horse galloped forward, crashing into Number Seven, who tried to calm the frightened horse while still on his own mount. Six's horse slowed down, but continued walking, effectively dragging Seven out of the saddle and into the dirt. Number Four attempted to get down and help, but his foot got stuck in the stirrups and he ended up dangling upside down from his horse by one leg. Number Two yawned, unaware of everything that had just transpired, and asked, _"What time is it? It looks like it's getting rather late."_

All of the while, the confused hobbit looked on, wondering if perhaps he had smoked just a _bit_ too much…

Number One finally decided to take things into his own (nonexistent, if you think about it) hands. (Just how _do _they wear those gloves?) He spurred his horse forward, jumping over the gate to the old hobbit's house, and landed beside the now terrified man. _"BAGGINS!" _he half-screeched, half-hissed in his most dramatic, evil voice.

The Hobbit pointed a shaking finger. As one, all of the Nazgul turned. Two houses away was a nice little hobbit hole. It was completely identical to every other hobbit hole in Hobbiton… Except for the fluorescent, flashing lights that read "THE BAGGIN'S RESIDENCE."

After a moment of silence, Seven flatly stated, _"How in Middle Earth did we miss THAT?"_

_"It's… understandable…"_ Number One made a noise that sounded like a cough. _"Now… FOREWARD!"_ He rode down the dirt rode, cape billowing impressively behind him. He was shortly followed by Number Two (but not for long…he started after him, but then turned and accidentally went in the wrong direction), Number Three (who got halfway there, forgot what he was doing, and got off of his horse to pick daisies), Number Four (still upside down), Number Five (who also made it halfway there, before seeing an opportune moment and got off his horse to throttle Three), Number Six (dodging glances and whimpering to himself), and Number Seven (who had to stop to help Number Five). Number Eight was still back thanking an extremely bemused hobbit for giving them directions and apologizing for any damage done to the vegetable garden, and Number Nine was unconscious in a ditch somewhere.

Just as One rode up to the hobbit hole, a dumpy, snobbish looking hobbit woman yanked the sign that read "THE BAGGIN'S RESIDENCE" of the ground and tossed it aside.

Number One blinked. _"Is this not the House of Baggins?"_

"Not anymore it isn't!" the hobbit woman snapped, "You just missed him. He left this afternoon. Good riddance, I'd say! Finally this home belongs to the Sackville-Bagginses!"

Number One just stared at her. Number Four and Number Six (the only other two that had made it) rode up beside him. _"Is something wrong?" _Six asked in a shaky voice.

_"Baggins doesn't live here anymore. We JUST missed him."_ One looked atSix for a moment before asking, _"What's the matter with _you_?"_

_"W-Well you see… it's kind of getting late… and there's no moon tonight… and my battery-powered nightlight ran out, and… well… I… I'mafraidofthedark."_

Before One could respond to this ridiculous statement (or discover where Six had gotten batteries) Numbers Three, Five, and Seven caught up with them. _"Where's Baggins?" _Five demanded immediately.

_"Not here. He left this morning."_

_"Where did he go?" _Seven asked the hobbit woman.

"As far as I know, he went to visit relatives in Bree. Strange folk up that way. I hope he stays there."

_"So do we."_ Seven replied sincerely.

Lobelia gave them all a suspicious look. "Frodo isn't here anymore, so beat it. I don't want everyone confusing _his_ weird friends for _mine_."

The six Nazgul turned their horses and began riding dejectedly back up the road. _"Now what?"_ Five finally asked One snappishly, _"This is all _your_ fault to begin with! If you hadn't led us in the wrong direction in the first place—"_

_"What's going on?" _Number Eight had reappeared, leading two horses carrying the unconscious bodies of both Two and Nine.

_"What happened to Two?"_ Seven asked before One could answer.

_"Got knocked out by a low tree branch. I found him in the forest back there. Now, where is Baggins?"_

_"In Bree, apparently." _Seven answered glumly.

_"Not yet he isn't!" _Five said suddenly, _"If he only left this afternoon, then he'll still be on the road! We can catch him before he even gets there!"_

_"Good idea, Five!"_ Eight said, ever optimistic, _"I'm sure we'll be able to stop him. After all, he couldn't have gotten far!"_

_"The forest is big. And Dark. And Spooky. And Big. How are we supposed to find him? What if he doesn't stick to the trail?"_ Six questioned.

_"I know what we shall do…"_ Number One held a finger up in the air, _"We shall Divide and Conquer!"_

There was a pause, and then suddenly Three asked, _"Where are we, again?"

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(A/N: I hope you enjoyed it so far! Chapter Two will actually probably be up tomorrow, since it's Spring Break. For anyone who is interested, each individual Nazgul has their own personality. Here is a list of them:

Number One: Dramatic

Number Two: Oblivious

Number Three: Forgetful

Number Four: Clumsy

Number Five: Sarcastic/Bossy

Number Six: Wimpy

Number Seven: Sensible

Number Eight: Nice/Helpful

Number Nine: Unlucky

Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think, and review :D

Hilary


	2. To the Buckleberry Ferry

(A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! Here's chapter two—most of what happens in this chapter is based off of the movie and not the book, however. Hope you don't mind.)

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**Chapter Two: To the Buckleberry Ferry**

Frodo stood and brushed himself off. Merry, Pippin, and Sam still lay in a pile after their long fall, laughing over a broken carrot. Frodo sighed and laughed too. Trust Merry and Pippin to get them into trouble!

The smile fell off of his face as he turned around to figure out where they were. There was something odd about this path…not in the trail itself, but in the air around the place. At the far end of the trail, the trees quivered ominously. Then, faintly, he heard hoofbeats.

Frodo whirled around and cried out to his friends, "Get off the trail!"

The group stopped laughing. They could feel it now, too. The four hobbits clamored across the road and scrambled down the bank, hearts beating rapidly. What they couldn't know as they huddled together under the tree roots was that the thing that hunted them was just as scared of them as they were of it.

ooooooooooooo

Number Six urged his horse reluctantly down the trail, glancing around nervously. There was a cracking sound and he visibly jumped, before realizing that his horse had just stepped on a dry twig. Six took a few calming breaths. Everything was okay. He was in a pretty forest, it was not too dark, and the hobbits were no where to be found.

Not that that was particularly a good thing, Six thought guiltily. If they didn't find the hobbits **He** was going to slaughter them. Well, metaphorically, of course. Still, there was just something about midget people that… well, that made him shiver. He'd once had a dream that he was being chased by thousands of midget people through a forest. He'd never thought of them in quite the same way since.

Suddenly there was the sound of leaves crackling, as if a bunch of squirrels were playing tag. Or (Six gulped) the sound of four maniacal little hobbits setting a trap for a poor, defenseless Nazgul.

_Deep breaths. Deep, calming breaths._ He was imagining things. Yes, that was it. Definitely imagining things. There was nothing on this trail at all… the sound he'd heard had just been the wind blowing the leaves… _Deep, calming breaths…_

Number Six continued forward, pointedly fixing his gaze straight ahead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something to his left move. Six froze. Hobbits… he smelled hobbits…

His horse tried to keep walking, but Six stopped it. What if they really _had_ set a trap for him up ahead? He smothered a whimper. Abruptly he realized that the devious little creatures _expected_ him to move forward into their trap! They were huddled over there under the bank—he could sense them! They were going to attack him, like in his dream!

_Not if I get them first!_ Six thought to himself. Gathering up what little bravery he had, he got down off of his horse and went over to the ledge.

ooooooooooooo

The hobbits all held their breath as the figure in black leaned over the place where they were hiding and looked down at them. There was a moment of complete silence, and then…

Frodo's forehead creased in confusion. What was it doing? It almost sounded like it was making a sniffing noise—like the creature was smelling them out—but then, not quite. Still, what else could it be doing?

ooooooooooooo

Number Six was starting to hyperventilate. They were even worse then he'd thought! The midgets were sitting completely still, as if they were scared of him (probably just an act!) and what was worse—they had hairy feet! Just the sight of them nearly made Six gag. What were the creatures waiting for? Was their trap ready to spring? What should he do?

He was just starting to calm down and come to his senses when he saw them. _Bugs!_ A spider skittered over one of the hobbits' shoulders. A big, hairy spider. A slimy creature with thousands of legs crawled up from the ground. Soon, more bugs joined them. Number Six tried to run away, but he was frozen to the spot.

The Hobbits, however, hadn't moved. But then, Six thought frantically, why _should_ they? The bugs were probably their pets! What if this was their evil plan? They were going to set the bugs loose on him!

_Deep breaths. Deep, calming breaths._ He wasn't sure what he should do. What if when he moved, the bugs attacked? Distantly, he saw one of the hobbits move as if they were throwing something, but it didn't register. He was too fixated on the bugs. Should he try to run? Should he—AHH!

A loud crash sounded from some nearby bushes. Six decided he'd had all of the stress he could take. Faster then you could say "It's only a bag of vegetables!" He was on his horse and miles away.

ooooooooooooo

"That was a close one." Merry told his friends shakily, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Good thing it didn't see us."

ooooooooooooo

Number Three's horse reared as he tried to turn it, but he managed to stay on. He looked around. A moment ago, he could have sworn he'd seen a few short people to his right, but now there was nothing down there. They must have run.

He started in that direction, spurring his horse forward, and then—

_What was he doing, again?_ Three shook his head. He'd have to go find one of the others and ask…

ooooooooooooo

Number One forced his horse to walk at a slow, majestic pace. Ahh, there was nothing better then riding silhouetted by the moonlight, your cape billowing around you. Unbeknownst to him, the hobbits watched him from some nearby trees. He didn't even glance in their direction, too caught up by his theatrics.

"I have to leave the Shire," Frodo murmured, "Sam and I have to get to Bree…"

"Right," Merry responded, thinking. Suddenly, he remembered—"The Buckleberry Ferry! Follow me."

The hobbits turned and ran… right into yet another Ringwraith.

ooooooooooooo

Number Eight drew up his horse in surprise as four midget people ran out of the brush and straight into his horse. He looked around, trying to keep his horse from accidentally stepping on them. One bumped against his leg, and then they all ran.

Finally, it struck him.

They were playing It-tag!

Eight grinned joyfully under his black hood. It'd been so long since anyone had wanted to play a game with him! What nice hobbits! Too bad he'd have to get the ring from them afterwards.

He galloped joyfully after them, and then noticed they were heading towards a river. Quite a few of them were already in the boat. Eight frowned. Hey… wasn't that against the rules? They couldn't just get into a boat and row away! They didn't give him a fair chance!

Still, there was at least one left on land. Considering that he, Eight, had the horse, and the hobbit was on foot, the Nazgul was sure he could catch up. Then they'd see who was It!

Eight rode hard, intent on the hobbit before him. The hobbit was running hard, and just before Number Eight could reach out and touch him, he made it to the river. The hobbits grabbed oars and hurriedly began paddling away.

Eight frowned, hurt. No fair! They cheated! They were just lucky he couldn't swim.

ooooooooooooo

_"Well, did anyone see them? I sure didn't." _Five sounded immensely disappointed. The Ringwraiths had gathered for a meeting at the heart of the forest. It had taken them a while to get together, because they had to search for Three, who had apparently gotten lost.

_"I didn't even get a hint of them."_ One admitted, _"It was a nice night though." _He turned to Two. _"How about you?"_

_"Hmm? What was the question?"_

_"Nevermind. Three, did you see anything?"_

_"See any what?"_

_"Hobbits?"_

_"What are they?"_

_"…Nevermind. What about you, Four?" _When Four shook his head, One turned to Six. _"And you?"_

_"Eem…"_ Six hesitated. What should he tell them? _"I—Well, you see, there was—um. No. I didn't see anything. Just a few… squirrels…" _Five and Seven gave him a suspicious look, but One continued.

_"How about you, Seven?" _Negative. _"Eight? One moment… where's Eight?"_ At just that moment, Eight burst into the clearing, muttering something unintelligible under his breath. _"Eight? Did you see the hobbits?"_

_"As a matter of fact, I did."_ After a moment, Eight added under his breath, _"Dirty rotten bunch of cheaters…"_

_"And? What happened to them? Where'd they go?" _Five demanded impatiently.

_"They got in a boat and rowed off. Right in the middle of our game of Tag, too! Who does that? It wasn't fair."_ Eight sounded rather sulky. He sighed. _"I _guess _it's okay though. They probably were mad at me for using a horse. I guess that might kind of be against the rules, too…"_ Eight looked thoughtful, _"You know, I bet that was it. I forgive them. How rude of me…"_

The other eight Nazgul just stared at him.

_"What?" _Eight asked curiously.

_

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(A/N: Thank you all for reading :D I hoped you liked chapter two… I got up and watched this particular part of "Fellowship" when I wrote this, and I actually laughed! If you have free time, I'd recommend it… I don't think I'll ever think of that part quite the same way again.

Thanks again for reading! It'd be really nice if you would review and tell me what you thought. )

Hilary


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